Heeramandi’s Sharmin Segal Recalls Crying When Sanjay Leela Bhansali Didn’t Approve Her Shot After 30 Takes: ‘Main Itni Frustrate Hogayi…’

Mumbai: Sharmin Segal, the actress who portrayed Alamzeb in her uncle Sanjay Leela Bhansali‘s debut Netflix India series, “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar,” has yet to address the criticism surrounding her performance. However, in a 2019 interview on Radio City India, Segal reflected on a demanding encounter with Bhansali during the filming of her debut film, “Malaal.” Scroll down to find more details.

Sharmin Segal Recalls Taking Over 30 Takes In Heeramandi

In the interview promoting Malaal, Sharmin recounted how Sanjay, the film’s producer, rarely visited the set, except on one occasion. On that day, she was filming a song sequence and felt nervous seeing her uncle and mentor overseeing the shot.

Sharmin said, “Wo ek shot mein meri jo vaat lagi hai. Main normally 15 takes deti thi. (I got screwed so much in that one shot. I usually gave 15 takes). I shouldn’t say that (smiles). Mujhe 25 takes lage hain uss din. Fir finally ho gaya. Poore din ka jo maine apne aap ko prepare kar ke rakha tha, wo ek hi shot mein chala gaya. Tabhi main gayi andar vanity mein, tab sir aaye andar aur bole, ‘Mujhe bahut mazza aa raha hai. Main ek aur shot ke liye rukne wala hu’ (It took me 25 cuts that day. Then it finally happened. Whatever I had prepared for the entire day, got wasted on that one shot. When I got back to my vanity van, sir came and said, ‘I’m enjoying a lot. I’ll stay back for one more shot'(sic).”

She further continues, “Main gayi set pe. 30 takes, okay nahi hua. Uske baad main itni frustrate ho gayi. Unhone mujh par chillaya nahi. Kuchh nahi bola, other than ‘Tumhe ye karna hai.’ Aur main nahi kar payi. Aur main ro padi 30 takes ke baad (I went back on set. 30 takes, it wasn’t okayed. Then I got frustrated. He didn’t scream at me. He didn’t say anything except, ‘You have to do this.’ And I couldn’t do it. So I cried after 30 takes) (sic).”

Four years after his previous film, Malal, Bhansali directed Sharmin in the movie Heeramandi. In an exclusive interview, he shared his experience of working with her, stating, “Throughout the filming, she kept insisting, ‘Mama, I’ll underplay.’ I responded, ‘Underplay? Do you think I’m going to ask you to overplay?’ (sic).”